Hurricane Ian made landfall on September 28, 2022, and in a matter of hours, Mud Bugs Cajun Kitchen went from a lively Sanibel staple to a waterlogged shell. The surge climbed six feet inside the restaurant and nearly seven in the kitchen, tearing equipment loose and leaving fish where paperwork used to be.

Three team members, with nowhere else to evacuate, survived the storm from the second floor — stranded for three days until rescue helicopters could reach them.

But the real story is what happened after.

Ron Rich, Sean Wood, and Mike Smetana refused to let Mud Bugs die. They took a boat to the island almost every day, long before the causeway reopened. From the drop‑off point, they biked through a landscape that barely resembled Sanibel: towering piles of debris, collapsed buildings, silent streets, and the National Guard standing watch.

It took 100 days of sweat, generators, and pure determination to bring the place back. No power. No A/C. Just grit.

On December 28, 2022, Mud Bugs reopened — the first non‑stilts restaurant on the island to do it. A small miracle with a Cajun accent.